System error Sept 7 2026 - auto-decline

Late on Sept 7, the FindAGrave computer automatically declined 13 edits sent to me. The text on the decline is "Suggestion refers to a memorial or cemetery that has been removed". You know that came from FindAGrave since there is no way for me to create that message.

I have reported this error to FindAGrave and they will probably reinstate your edit. You can also resubmit that edit since I did not decline it.

Just wanted you to know that I didn't decline those edits.

New edit system implemented May 18 2023

Note that you can now enter "bio" information. You can submit obituaries there. Please don't use it to just copy a whole census data page, for instance. Although some memorial managers have complained about gender and veteran updates, I welcome any update that adds information about the person.

Spring Grove, Wayne County, Indiana vs. Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana:

Spring Grove is a small unincorporated town surrounded by Richmond. Until September 10, 2008, Reid Hospital was there. So, technically, for anyone who was born or died at the hospital before this date, Spring Grove is correct. Almost anyone would say the event happened in Richmond. I will, of course, accept any edit changing the location to Spring Grove, but won't hunt out "errors". (Indeed, a number of death certificates will list the location as Richmond even when they died at the hospital while it was in Spring Grove.)

GPS Locations on memorials:

GPS locations are very helpful for others to find the grave, but incorrect locations are worse than nothing. Not only won't they help find the grave, they discourage anyone from getting the correct location.

Of course, putting the cemetery GPS location as the grave location is also unhelpful.

If I (or anyone) suggests an edit to remove a location, before you reflexively reject it, go to the memorial and choose "Show map". If the location is outside the cemetery, accept the removal of the incorrect location.

I had a local e-mail disaster July 2021 and lost nearly all the e-mails I saved on my PC. Please forgive me if I ask you for information you already sent or I don't do updates you have asked me to do through e-mail rather than the preferred online edits.

Submitting a SAC ("Suggest a Correction" on the Edit tab) is ONLY way to give me the information I need for corrections or transfer requests. I will not make changes from public messages.

If you contact me directly about a memorial, please include the URL in the e-mail. Not only does this let me access the memorial easily, but it routes your e-mail to the correct folder in my e-mail system. I get hundreds of e-mails a day concerning various projects. If you don't include the FindAGrave URL, your e-mail may be overlooked.

Also, if you aren't replying to an e-mail I sent, please include all the information I need to understand your response. Don't assume I remember the question I asked you. If all you say is "Look at the 1930 Census for Hugh. Dora was previously married to Samuel in Virginia." I'm left to wonder how that is relevant to whatever I asked you. If you hide your e-mail address, you have to do a little more work.

Please don't make me turn off public messages. (Public messages don't have the necessary links to do changes efficiently.)

I am giving priority to edits done the "new" (Dec 2013) way using the individual options for dates, names, etc. rather than the old-style "Suggest any other correction or addition". I recognize the deficiency of not being able to add a note to me with the new-style. The beta testers lobbied to have that removed. If you think it should be restored, go to the forums and lobby for it.

I have entered a number of memorials from cemetery registers. I know these are incomplete (and possibly incorrect.) You may send SACs as fast and frequently as you like. You do NOT need to limit yourself to 20/week or any fixed number per day.

I am more than willing to consider the transfer of any memorials I have entered to others who have a closer relationship, especially if the intent is to improve the data here instead of just collecting relatives. Please state your relationship in the SAC when requesting a transfer. If you can't put the relationship in words, perhaps I should retain management of the memorial until someone more closely related requests it. I'm looking for an exact relationship, not "my great-grandmother was a Smith". (If you want management simply to consolidate your relatives, take a look at Virtual Cemeteries as a way to do this.)

And please don't tell me the reason you want management is so you can link to parents and spouse. It makes me think you either don't know how to use Suggest a Correction to request such updates or you doubt my ability to create the link.

Again, please don't send corrections to my e-mail. Use the Edit/Suggest a Correction on the memorial.

I (may) have removed my e-mail from normal display since that seems to be the only way to avoid having transfer requests or other corrections sent directly to that address. If you want to contact me for another reason, I use gmail and my ID there is billroha.

I normally make changes from Suggest a Correction within 24 hours. Sometimes it may be longer if I'm on an extended trip. If it gets near the 30-day maximum time, feel free to send another Suggest a Correction.

Earlham Cemetery photographs:

At one point local photographers had whittled the list down to 10 requests.

11/22/12 - 374

12/20/12 - 151

3/29/13 - 194

3/31/13 - 154

8/26/13 - 194

(Another contributor has photographed every memorial at Earlham Cemetery and is now in the long process of adding them. Once he finishes, I may take another look at checking out any remaining photo requests.)

Willliam updates

A pet peeve is misspelling "William". As of March 3, there were 1713 with 3Ls instead of 2. I sent updates for all of them. Status is:

3/11 911 pending, 7 declined

(The declined are from people who couldn't see there was a change. When explained to them, the change was made.)

From the Find A Grave FAQs:

What are your memorial naming conventions?

Suffixes and Prefixes do not belong in any Name Field.

Maiden Name

Maiden name of a married individual, if known (otherwise leave blank)

I naively assumed that knowing the FindAGrave standards for names would make a difference to some. Lesson learned. For those who care:

FindAGrave naming conventions